Hills in Lodi?

LODI

City Limits

Population 60,500 Elev. 52

One of the greatest challenges of training in Lodi is finding different places to run.  My personal favorites have varied with the seasons and my racing goals.  I've always loved the tranquility of the levees and Lodi Lake is beautiful anytime of year.  For the last year or so I have done most of my long runs along the local vineyards to get used to running on a softer, more uneven terrain.  My biggest regret is Lodi doesn't have any real opportunities to train on hills.  You can run up and back on the downtown parking structure, or you can crest the same freeway overpass time and time again, or you can do the stairs or treadmill at the gym.  But those don't really prepare you for climbing Mount Diablo.  So what is a Lodian to do? 

Well, there's a pretty good option just 20 minutes down the round in the rolling hills of Clements.  I recently joined the Lodi track guys on a perfect Saturday morning for an hour run out on Cord Road.  We parked in the usual spot, only to find ourselves surrounded by some cattle that had wandered out of their pasture.  That meant two things: an opportunity for the dogs  to show off their cattle rustling skills and the danger of stepping in a few cow patties during the run.
When we headed out around 8:45 it was 43 degrees and the guys were fully clothed.  10 minutes later they were bare chested like a bunch of Abercrombie models and heading up towards Acampo Road.  For a first timer like Hudson, the hill seems daunting--I remember back in the days when I thought the "Big Mama" hill in Vacaville was Mt. Everest.  I figured this hill was about a 200-300' climb but I'd later see on my GPS that it only rose about 150'.  I guess it just looks bigger and badder because there's nothing else significant around it.  I guess you could say that about a lot of things in our community
 

The first hills tops out at the 1-mile mark and by then the laughter had subsided.  The guys were ready to go to work.  My legs were a little heavy--I just ran 24 miles earlier in the week and I had lifted at at the gym the night before.  And I still had a cough to contend with but mentally I was in a good place.  Tommy wasn't running his usual blazing pace and the other guys seemed determined to keep the pack together so I figured I'd just hitch a ride with them.  I sometimes forget how easy it is just to latch on to someone and let them pull you up the hill.  Note to self:  remember to find company on next 50K.   

The second mile proved to be even  more gorgeous than the first, a peaceful dirt road bordered by monumental oaks and curious cows.  I knew we had a water hazard on the horizon as we came down the hill onto Johnson Road. 
Despite our warnings, Hudson decided to charge straight through the creek rather than tip toe to the side.  He'd take off his wet shoes and socks and finish the morning's run barefoot.  The incline immediately after the creek is probably the steepest grade of the day, up to 18% according to my Garmin. 

This is usually the point in the run where the newbies fall off, especially if they have wet shoes and a tendency to over stride  ;-)   After that hill, life gets easier--and on this day, much foggier--until the turn around point.  Some runners turned back after 3 miles, but most made it to Clements Road, 4.2 miles from the start.   I originally planned on doing 10 miles, but Tommy was cramping up a little, Brandon's calf was a little tender and I did have a daughter's indoor soccer game to attend.  So back we went.

The return trip passed quickly for some (Brandon's calf must have been feeling better because he really picked it up on the way back) and a little slower for others (Tommy sure wishes they had a port-a-potty on the road).  I just kept my focus on what I would do mid-race for Way Too Cool and tried to keep a strong, steady pace while taking in lots of fuel and fluids.  All told, I ran 8.4 miles at what seemed a leisurely 7:18 pace, with about 700' of ascent and descent.  To be honest, I thought the elevation totals would be more impressive, but at least the miles came easy on tired legs.  I hope that bodes well for fresher legs up bigger hills on longer days.

Thanks again to the Lodi Track guys for the company.  And I hope you guys in turn said thanks to Coach Wright and Dave Phillips for breakfast back in Lockeford.  I'm assuming they picked up the check, again.  Funny how you guys never seem to have your wallets after Saturday morning runs  Maybe next time we'll do pancakes at my house.